Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

You know that thing that happens when you throw all your favorite books from widely varying genres into a super-collider and it makes one heck of a brilliant mess?  Wait, that isn't a thing?  Well it should be if this book is that mess.  This novel is part Fault in Our Stars part Girl At Midnight/Smoke & Bone part nothing I have ever read before.  And it's not all wonderful.  A lot of it was confusing (purposefully, I mean the main characters have NO clue whats going on for a majority of the book). The book was also short, for a YA novel, less than 300 pages.  I feel like a little more time could have been spent explaining or filling in HUGE gaps in character development.  It was one of those instances like: "You are special main character.  Oh really?  No, I'm ok, I don't need to be special.  Oh wait, BOOM, I am special.  The end."  It all happens a bit to fast for my liking.  But in all, I did really like this book.  It was definitely a weird mismatch but that worked for it.  And I look forward to more magical world-building in books to come.

Final Recommendations: if you like sick kids, fantastical fantasy, awesome creatures (I mean what could be more awesome/precious than a squallwhale!), star-crossed love, ocd earth boys, shady moms, girls with a destiny